Don’t expect Joe Wojcich to reminisce about the golden days of film. The camera pro has been fixing cameras since the early 70s and is still a go-to for many of the Valley’s professional and hobby-ist photographers. However, the president and founder of Tempe Camera isn’t bashful about admitting he loves photo editing apps and digital equipment.

“When I started out, I used to put a camera on the bench that didn’t work. I’d put one that kind of worked next to it, then one that worked a little better next to that one. I’d advance and fire all three and see what did and didn’t move. That’s how we learned to fix a camera,” the expert recalled.

Wojcich is the old guard who has moved with the times, and as a self-trained camera repair man he’s had to do his share of research to get the most out of and fix modern cameras. Here, he and Tempe Camera Sales Manager, David Hunsaker, tackle some of the most common misconceptions about digital photography today.

Stuck in ‘green mode’

Hunsaker often finds himself dispelling one common myth: setting the camera on fully-automatic green mode will always yield good pictures.

That is the case for standard, evenly-lit environments, he explains, but with lower light and motion, expect green mode to fail, Hunsaker adds. “It does not understand concepts like depth of field. Also, in special conditions like making images of action, stars or lightning, special manual settings are needed,” he said.

Why a photo may have spots

One of Wojcich’s most common complaints comes when a photographer says he or she sees a spot through the view-finder and is convinced that spot is showing up on photos.

Dust seen through the viewfinder is not what is being stamped out on the image, Wojcich clarifies. If spots are showing up, it is because the CCD, or Charge Coupled Device, which actually captures and records the image, has dust or dirt on it. The CCD can be found in the center of the camera when the lens is taken off. A skilled repair man can simply clean most cameras. The repair is rather inexpensive, too.

“It takes a lot of education to help people understand that just because there’s dust in the view finder, that’s not the same dust that’s falling on the image,” he said.

Repairs never happen at convenient times. For pros who may need this, or any other, repair, Tempe Camera offers a half-price rental option; so, while a camera is fixed, a camera can be available for a shoot, if needed.

One of Wojcich’s most common complaints comes when a photographer says he or she sees a spot through the view-finder and is convinced that spot is showing up on photos.(Photo: Tempe Camera)

Memory card quality

A high-quality memory card is far less likely to corrupt and require a photographer to pay for data retrieval, Hunsaker said. He also explains that some cards have a faster writing speed for recording movies. These memory cards are better for certain situations.

“The cards with the faster writing speed, such as 95 megabytes per second, can keep up with photographers wishing to take fast sequential shots,” he added.

Zooming without a clue

Far too many owners of zoom lenses buy them assuming they understand what the lens will do for them. Hunsaker often hears people say if a lens says “macro” on it, it will allow for extreme close-ups of flowers or bugs. But to get those really close shots, a fixed focal length lens is needed. “You will get much closer to the subject and record the intimate details,” he said.

Many people also often assume they need a really long zoom lens to get a close shot of their child at a sports or musical performance. However, a shorter lens with a smaller f/stop, like an f2.8, best controls images that need to stop in motion in dark conditions. They are expensive, however, and “if it’s not within your budget then a lens [like that] can be rented,” he added.

Expensive cameras, online buying

Yes, having a great tool like an expensive camera can help, Hunsaker adds, but experience and knowledge are really the keys to better photography. “Professionals are good at what they do because of the years they have been shooting and the education they have received,” he noted.

As with many other products, cameras are being purchase online now more than ever without the owner having tried them. Tempe Camera offers classes to better understand the equipment online buyers have purchased and the company can even offer short one-on-one consultations for only $35 to help a new owner navigate a piece of technology, even if that camera hasn’t been purchased at a full-service shop like Tempe Camera.

“We get lots of calls from people who bought something online and they just don’t know much about it,” Wojcich said. “We have some great instructors here and the price is pretty minimal to get that kind of help.”